


Two Worlds

by xserenity



Series: JayDick Week 2017 [2]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics), Under the Red Hood
Genre: Alternate Universe - Character Swap, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst, Angst and Feels, Denial of Feelings, Established Relationship, Feelings, M/M, Multiverse, Pre-52, Pre-52 swap with New 52/Rebirth, Pre-New 52, Rebirth, Universe switch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-02
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2019-01-08 01:30:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12244506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xserenity/pseuds/xserenity
Summary: Dick thought it was just a dream, a weird dream but apparently it wasn't. He found himself stuck in a reality where he wasn’t dating Jason Todd. Instead, he was dating some girl he didn’t know.And he hated the fact.





	Two Worlds

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt for Day 1 - Time Travel

Dick stirred in bed, tossed and turned as he flung an arm to his right in search of his lover, but was met with emptiness. A loud groan escaped his lips, disappointed that he couldn’t snuggle against Jason’s warmth. He hated when Jason woke up early and left him alone in bed. What didn’t he understand when Dick specifically told him to wake him up when he got up? Apparently all of it.

Besides, what time was it anyways?

Lifting one eye open, Dick shuffled to his side to check the time, expected to find his clock flashing big bold numbers in red but found nothing. He blinked in confusion, certainly more awake now. Slowly, he rose up in bed, rubbed his eyes and took in the scenery before him. 

This—this was not his room.

Dick had _thought_  he was in his room, snuggling in his comfortable bed and buried underneath his warm blankets, but this—nope—this was most definitely not his room. Everything was different and out of the ordinary and nothing seemed—was—the same to him. Suddenly alarmed, Dick sprung out of bed and quickly ran his hands over his body, taking a swift look at his clothes. Okay, this was undeniably what he wore to bed last night — his black and blue pajama pants and Jason’s black shirt.

Dick was positive he was in his room last night. Positive that Jason was also with him because they went on patrol together and then came back to sleep at his apartment. Positive because Dick could still _feel_  Jason’s hands all over his body and felt the sting of a bite mark near his collarbone.

Not to mention, he was wearing Jason’s shirt that the man himself had worn last night.

Yet, how did he end up here—wherever here was? In some room that wasn’t his.

Wait, was it even his city then?

Shit, this situation was all too strange to him and Dick was confused. It didn't feel like he'd been captured considering he probably would have known. And the fact that he was sleeping in a nice and comfortable bed wasn't something kidnappers would do for their captives. It was more like he'd been magically teleported here and just woke up as so. Which wasn't abnormal or out of the ordinary, so he could see that happening.

Actually, Dick decided to believe that was the case until he found further evidence supporting his theory.

Vivid blue eyes quickly scanned the room and spotted a window near the wall. Since he was the only one currently here, he decided to take a look around and quietly tiptoed to the wall to peek behind the blinds.

Dick confirmed that this was not his city seeing that things looked slightly different than his dark and dingy Gotham City. Yet, nothing looked out of the ordinary. No weird architecture or gadgets he wouldn’t have been able to recognize, so at least he can say that he wasn’t in the future or the past.

Maybe he was dreaming? Dick pinched himself on the thigh and winced from the slight sting. Yeah, he was not dreaming. This was as real as it could be. He didn’t know what sort of joke this was, or if it was even a joke but he didn’t appreciate it.

Hopefully it wasn’t a joke that Jason decided to play but knowing him, it probably wasn’t. Not his type of prank.

Drawing in a deep breath, Dick tried to level himself. He needed to stay calm so that he could concentrate. Tried his best not to freak out and give himself some confidence that he can escape from whatever he was stuck in.  _Hopefully._

Dick brought a hand to rest atop his chest, listening to his heart beat as it slowed to a norm. Then he stayed still as a rock, trying to see if there was anyone around. If he could feel another presence or hear any movements. He sensed none so he safely assumed that he was alone. Still, he needed to be quiet just in case.

Getting right to work, he started investigating the room. Sapphire eyes examined the scattered items spread across the floor. Whoever lived here didn’t know how to keep himself organized. There were garments thrown all around, like the person hadn’t even bothered to undress properly or hang their clothes up. On top of that, there were books, papers and other miscellaneous things. At least he had good taste in reading, had books about Robin Hood.

In a way, it kind of reminded him of his room and he shuddered at the thought of Jason yelling at him. He’d gotten better about cleaning due to Jason’s constant harassing. It was a good habit to get into considering it kept his place tidier. Made it easy to find things.

There wasn’t anything strange about the place so far, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t suspicious. It was just odd how he ended up here. The room looked normal for the most part and someone was living here seeing that everything looked to be lived in.

It didn’t make any sense though. Nothing made sense and it was driving him slightly insane that he couldn't decipher the situation.

He could only assume that it had to involve magic because anything crazy and unscientific was magic-related. 

Or—an even crazier idea. What if—what if Dick was in an alternate universe? A different reality than his own? Because seriously, this could be an option. It’s not as if it’s a new idea to him knowing that Jason had dimension hopped between worlds before.

Minutes passed by as Dick tried to formulate some sort of answer to his question, but he wasn’t very successful. Had no clues to help him analyze the situation so he just went back to investigating. There were more parts he could search through.

Dick approached the closet and yanked it open.  _Bingo_ , he found something useful that would get him closer to the answer and was actually quite surprised to see it. Eyes squinting, he grabbed the newly found evidence and pulled it out of the closet.

This was just so fucking weird. It didn’t take an idiot to realize that this was a  _Nightwing_  uniform, hung up in the closet for all to see. Why would anyone leave it so easy to find? This person had to be a novice and whoever was donning this costume was an idiot. As harsh as it sounded.

The design was different but still slightly similar. The suit was still black and blue but the shape wasn't the same. There was a big blue V that sort of resembled a bird, extended across the chest and curved to the back. The lines of his arms were absent, so he could only assume there were no finger stripes. Seriously, why not the finger stripes?

They were a sexy point of his uniform. His finger stripes were—well, they looked good and mainly because Jason loved it.

But enough about Jason. Dick clutched onto the uniform and continued looking through different areas of the room. There wasn’t much else to see and he saved the desk for last, knowing it had to have something that would tell Dick about the owner.

As luck may have it, he found a cell phone resting on top of the wooden surface. Dick swiped the phone up and unlocked the screen. His eyes widen at what he saw, bright blue eyes full of confusion, curiosity and a touch of disappointment.

This was a picture of—of him. Him being  _Dick Grayson_. The photo being used as the background was of himself and some blue-haired girl. A girl whose cheek he was kissing and looked very much smitten by. Dick didn’t have to think hard to know what this was. To know what that look in this Dick’s—or whoever he was—means. It was easy enough.

Dick felt his stomach churn, getting upset at the fact that it wasn’t Jason, but this wasn't him so it shouldn't matter. Taking a deep breath, he tried to normalize his erratic breathing. Tried to not burst in anxiety and slowly let the information he had uncovered sink.

As he connected the dots, Dick had concluded that his last option was right. That Dick was in fact in a different world. A world that wasn’t his.

Annoyed, he groaned loudly as he scrubbed a hand across his face.  _“Fuck_.” He hissed. “Why? Why me?”

Whether it was him or not, he was here now and he needed to find a way back. 

\----

Jason felt the bed shift and stirred, slowly waking up from his sleep. There was a warm body pressed against him and the person in question was nuzzling his chest. The corner of his lips tugged into a smile at the thought of his golden boy trying to snuggle with him. Jason sighed contently and snaked an around his lover’s thick waist. Blindly, he searched for Dick’s face and pressed a kiss to what felt like his nose.

Jason then followed the outline of his nose and trailed kisses along his cheek and jaw as he finally reached his neck. He buried his nose in the crook of his lover’s collarbone, kissed and sucked to leave behind a bruise. Made sure there were multiple.

He heard a sweet sigh melt into the air, warm breath tickling his chest. Chuckling, Jason finally opened his eyes to take in the beautiful face of—Dick?  _Wait._

Jason squinted his eyes at the man in his arms. He was confused because why did Dick look way younger than he usually did?

Turquoise eyes blinked and watched as the younger male who was definitely not his boyfriend lift his eyes open. The exact same sapphire eyes were staring back at him, dazed before they widened in surprise. Startled, the young Dick pushed at Jason’s chest and jumped back to point a finger at him.

“…Jason?” 

“ _Yeah._  That’s me,” Jason answered nonchalantly even though he was as freaked out as this Dick was.

“Why are you in my bed?  _Wait_ , why are you naked  _and_ in my bed?” Poor Golden boy was having a moment. He looked panicked as his eyes darted back and forth, trying to access where he was. Probably nowhere that was familiar to him. Hence, the uneasy expression on his face.

Jason stared at this Dick and watched him panic, frantic as he flayed about. Examined his features as he ignored his nonsense mumbling, was probably muttering a stream of curse words. He was definitely younger and sported shorter hair than _his_ Dick, yet he was almost the same. Same features, build and gorgeous blue eyes.

This was most definitely a younger Dick. A Dick that was probably not dating him and thus, was flustered. It was oddly…cute in Jason’s opinion and quite honestly, he was amused. It wasn’t every so often he got to see his lover in a mess like this, seeing that his Dick was typically calm and composed. Had his moments but nothing of this caliber.

Jason exhaled quietly and propped his elbow on a pillow, rested a cheek in his hand and stared at Dick. He looked just like his boyfriend but younger. How young? Jason wasn’t sure but maybe in his early 20s considering the current Dick was in his late 20s. Still, the man was as beautiful as ever no matter what age.

Though he’d have to say, bias aside, his Dick was _much_ prettier.

Still, this one was cute as well. Pretty too but not nearly as much as his.

Jason was too absorbed in his amusing actions to really listen to Dick’s babbling nonsense. He maybe should but he was too tired to care. Jason rolled his eyes, pushed himself up in bed to close the distance between him and the flustered Dick.

There was one way to get him to shut up.

Jason cupped his cheeks and pulled him forward as he pressed their lips together. Immediately, Dick froze and completely shut down, sealed his lips shut as he let Jason kiss him, too stupefied to react.

However, he recovered within seconds and shoved at Jason roughly. There was a pout to his lips and anger filtered his eyes, turning his sapphire eyes to a slightly darker shade. Yet, there was a rosy pink coloring his cheeks, clearly embarrassed. So Jason would say that he was successful on getting him riled up.

“I have a girlfriend!” The younger Dick exclaimed.

Jason wasn’t at all surprised and just hummed at that thought. At least his first question wasn’t why he kissed him. Now that would have meant something different.

“That won’t last long,” Jason said and meant it. He knew they were destined to be together. No matter who Dick dated or who Jason dated, those relationships weren’t meant to last.

Dick’s lips turned into a frown and he furrowed his brows, looked at Jason as if he was crazy. Then suddenly, the look on his face changed. From one of anger to one filled with shock. Like he might have just realized something very important.

“You’re—you’re _older_. And you’re hair—”

Jason smirked and brought a hand to rustle at the whites of his bangs. This one was a little slow it seems. “ _I am_. Do you know a thing or two about alternate universes?”

“No?” Dick answered sounding unsure.

Jason’s grin widened and he knew this was going to be a lot of fun. “Well, let me tell you about it.”

\----

The fact that Dick’s hair was still a mess didn’t help when he was constantly threading his fingers through, made it even worse. Not that he cared because he was trying to think of a plan.

Where should he start first? He knows he’s in some city, not sure where he was. Wait—Dick searched around the room for a wallet and found it sticking out of one of his—or well,  _this_  Dick’s pants pockets. He took a peek at his license and noticed it was from Gotham. He then found a bunch of receipts. As he looked them over, he noticed that a few of these places this Dick had visited were in Bludhaven.

Should it be safe to assume that he was currently in Bludhaven? At least, a version of Bludhaven that didn't explode into oblivion like his. _Ugh_ , that still haunted him to this very day and he tried to shove the thoughts into the back of his mind.

Well, wherever he was, he knew he needed to get to the Batcave. Needed to find Bruce because that was his best bet. Though knowing him, Bruce probably wouldn’t trust him from the get go. Would probably interrogate him and run a million tests until he proved himself as Dick Grayson. Dick didn’t really want to go through with that but not like he had any other choice.

As he stood around and pondered which course of action to take, there was a knock at the door. Startled, Dick almost hid but then realized that this was actually his home. Quietly, he exited the bedroom and approached the front door. He tried to not make his presence known and took a peek through the hole. There, he found the same exact girl that was on the cellphone—a girl with short bright blue hair and glasses. Dick could only assume that this was the girlfriend.

He wasn’t keen on the idea that he was dating someone that wasn’t Jason but there wasn’t much he could do about it. Considering that he had dated others in the past but still—just thinking about it now, the idea was foreign to him. He couldn’t imagine anyone else he’d rather be with than with Jason.

Well, that didn’t matter. Sooner or later, this Dick will eventually end up with Jason. He just—he just knows it even if they’re in a different universe.

Hiding behind the door, he waited for her to leave but she was persistent and kept knocking. Even rang the doorbell too.

“Dick?” She called and the voice sounded so strange and foreign to him. It was all sweet and cute, unlike Jason’s. Jason, who had a deep and husky voice and when he called his name, it was loving and playful and ugh—he just missed his voice.

“ _Honey?_ ”

Oh god, something that Dick had never heard before. Jason never called him honey, settled with babe instead or other various nicknames he came up with, like pretty bird which he quite liked. Even sweetheart was better than honey. A chill traveled down his back when she called him that again and he shivered, wish she'd just go away.

The girl kept on trying, was knocking and banging on his door, shouting for his name. She kept it up for a few more minutes until she finally gave up and stomped away. Dick breathed a sigh of relief. Thank god she was gone. And he had to give kudos to this Dick for not giving her the key to his place considering it was something he would do. Otherwise, Dick would have been in trouble and wouldn't know what to do.

Well, he could knock her out and run? Probably not.

Dick returned back to the bedroom and searched through the pile of clothes to get dressed into something a bit more presentable. Surprisingly, the clothes fit him albeit a bit tight. He figured he hasn't grown much but was definitely a lot thicker than this Dick. Probably because he was much older, experienced and yeah—that’s basically it.

He searched around the room looking for a pair of keys of some sort. Transportation to get him to Bruce’s. After much scrambling and digging, he found it underneath a pile of his shirts.

Dick sighed after having worked up a sweat. Felt really grateful to Jason for always helping him clean. Thankful that he could find his stuff easily. Guess that was a lesson to stop being lazy and clean up.

Yeah, he’ll have to do that from now on.

But first things first,  _Bruce_.

As Dick was driving through the city, he realized that it was indeed Bludhaven. Though the city seemed brighter than his own, and yet, the roads were similar, same with the buildings. Things were just ever so slightly different but nothing significant that Dick wouldn't have noticed where he was. Guess he was too flustered to see that the first time.

When he finally arrived at the Batcave, the first thing that happened was that he almost got nicked by a batarang. A freaking  _batarang_.

Followed by a very angry and hostile Bruce shouting at him.

 _Alright._  Maybe he should have went through the front door instead.

Dick was on his guard but he tried to calmly explain to Bruce that the reason he was older was because he wasn’t this world’s Dick. Which only earned him a suspicious stare from Bruce. The man was glaring so intensely at him. Dick had to try his best to not burst his top and had to take a deep breath, start the story from ground one. Explained a thing or two about alternative timelines and then proceed to explain how he and his Dick got swapped.

Bruce was still skeptical and didn’t seem to like his explanation but he let it fly momentarily. Then demanded that he run tests on him to confirm that he was indeed, Dick Grayson. He entertained Bruce with the idea and let him do as he pleased. Not that he could fight it if he wanted.

As Bruce was running the test on his blood, Dick looked around and found that the Batcave was relatively the same. Except for a few things that were out of place. Also the fact that the first Robin costume was very different. It wasn’t the scaly panties, short yellow cape and green pixie boots. It was a full-fledged uniform covered from head to toe.

So someone decided to not let him wear the short shorts. Was it a blessing? _Possibly._ Probably didn’t get made fun of for though he felt offended because that outfit was _legendary_. His legs looked damn fine in them.

The atmosphere between them was silent and it was getting on Dick's nerves so he decided to start a bit of small talk. “So…where is everyone?” He asked and stared at Bruce who was typing away on the computer.

Bruce only replied with a grunt. So typical of him. As Dick was about to try again, the phone rang and there was an incoming call from a Wally West from the computer.

Dick was a little perplexed that Wally was calling Bruce of all people. Though he supposed it made sense because he was the Flash and they were in the Justice League together. At least, in his world they were. He wasn't sure about this one.

Bruce picked up the call. “Bruce? Is Dick there?” Wally asked, breathless.

Sounded like he might be in trouble and that worried Dick. Bruce paused for a moment and looked over at Dick. Gave him a stern look to not say any more than necessary. Dick just rolled his eyes.  _Obviously._

“Uh, I’m here?” Dick answered.

“Oh good. We need you at Titans tower.”

Titans Tower? That’s bizarre. The Titans, at least _his_ Titans, have been disbanded for a long time. The fact that the tower existed here meant the team was still together. It left Dick with a million questions. Such as who was on the team, why were they together and how long have they been together?

He was curious and it made him feel nostalgic at the thought, but of course he didn’t have time for that.

“Sorry, I can’t Wally. Is it possible for you guys to handle it without me?”

Wally made a noise but breathed a sigh. “Okay. I think we can do it. Sorry for interrupting.”

“No problem. Take care.”

“Right back at you Dick! Flash out.”

Once Wally had hung up the call, the air between Bruce and Dick had thickened. It was more tense than usual and Dick was worried he’d make the man snap if he so much as made a noise. They both probably had a million questions they wanted to ask one another and Dick was willing to answer of course, trusting this Bruce as much as he trusted his own. Yet, he knew that this Bruce wouldn’t be so willing.

No matter how much Dick explained himself, Bruce would never trust him. The man wasn’t one to openly trust others so easily. Probably thought he was some clone.

Maybe he could start with an easier question—hoping it was simple enough to get him to answer. Something he’d been thinking about since he realized he was in a different universe.

“Where’s Jason?” Dick blurted.

Shocked to hear that, Bruce lifted a brow at him. His expression was full of confusion, looked as if he wanted to know why Dick was seeking him out personally. “On a mission,” Bruce answered, surprisingly.

Dick didn’t expect him to reply but maybe this Bruce had a bit of a soft spot for Jason. Could see how the sharp lines of his features soften just a bit at the mention of his second Robin. Not to make it sound like his Bruce didn't care about Jason because he did. It was just this one seemed like he was on better terms with Jason.

“Where?”

“In Gotham.”

Why did he have to answer so vaguely? Couldn’t he just tell him exactly where?

“Location?” Dick asked or more like, demanded. He really wanted to see this version of Jason. To confirm whether he was well or not.

And because he missed his own.

Bruce didn’t reply for the longest time ever until the computer beeped and informed them that the test was done. The results turned up positive, confirming that he was Dick Grayson and not a clone. Just that he was older and from a different timeline, not that the computer could identify that.

Dick stared at his mentor, blue eyes all misty and pleaded. There was almost a bit of amusement on Bruce’s lip before he sighed and gave him the address.

“Thanks Bruce!” Dick chirped and quickly ran off to find Jason. Didn’t want to spend another second with Bruce because it was suffocating. He made it hard to joke around because he might just punch him any minute but for a brief second, he did see him smile.

Which was a pretty nice thing to see from Bruce. At least Dick knew that he could make this one smile.

\----

Dick squinted his eyes and wiggled his nose. “ _Okay_ , I get that there are these alternate universes. So then, how did I end up here? 

Jason exhaled and hummed in thought. “I can’t really explain that.” Honestly, he had not a single idea as to how this Dick was here and what in the hell happened to his own. He knows he should be more worried, but at the same time, he trusted Dick to be able to handle himself. Knowing that if they had just been simply switched, he shouldn't be in any immediate danger.

Younger Dick scratched his head, utterly confused and frustrated at the predicament.

“Okay, then why are  _we_  together?” He gestured at him and Jason.

The corner of Jason's lips tugged into a smirk. “For one, we’re  _married_.” Jason gloated, lifted his hand and flashed his ring, revealed the silver wedding band glowing on his finger.

Dick's jaw fell and he gasped loudly, eyes bulging out of his sockets. "What?!" He was in complete shock and reached out his hand to grab at Jason's. Pulled the ring close, Dick examined it just to make sure it was real. 

Jason just laughed and let him do as he pleased as he poked and probed at his ring, twirled it around his finger. “ _Also_ ," he said, capturing Dick's attention once again as blue eyes laid upon him. "This is our place together.”

Dick looked like he was about to fall over, too much information dropping on him at once. “H-How did this even happen?” He stuttered.

Jason rolled his eyes at Dick’s naivety. “It’s because we love each other,  _idiot_.”

“But," he paused, furrowed his brows in vexation. "I’m not into men.”

“Yeah, you might want to check again," Jason said and tenderly swiped a thumb across his cheek. " _Really_ , you should. Because you in bed—"

Dick cleared his throat obnoxiously, interrupted Jason and slapped his hand away. Sapphire eyes fell, focused on his weird shirt with singing fishes instead and refused to look at Jason. "I—" He exhaled shakily. "I want to see Bruce."

Jason sighed in annoyance at the aspect of meeting Bruce. But well, he could understand how uncomfortable young Dick felt and besides, Bruce would probably be useful. “Okay fine.” 

\----

Dick was quickly able to find Jason in his own personal cave, surprised that he was able to set up something akin to Bruce's own cave. Albeit smaller, but definitely convenient. He spotted the young man sitting in his chair at the computer and approached him.

He was unquestionably younger and the one difference that Dick noticed immediately was his hair. Jason didn't have the white splotch in his bangs and it was odd but at the same time, refreshing. Though he secretly missed the look, but this version of him wasn't so bad either. Actually quite handsome if he had to say. Jason's hair was jet black and he was sporting a slick back.

The young man could hear Dick approaching and spun around in his chair to check the intruder. A look of surprise crossed his face before he narrowed his eyes dangerously at Dick. He seemed cautious, but not exactly angry to see him. Which implied that they were possibly on good terms. A positive for Dick since he wouldn’t have to fight off an angry Jason yelling at him to get the hell out.

"Jason," Dick said, watched as the man slowly rose from his seat.

Turquoise eyes stared at him with intensity, assessing him as he examined Dick like Bruce had first done. "Who are you? And how'd you get in?"

Dick sighed and brushed a hand through his hair, had probably messed it up enough today by how many times he had frustratingly tugged at his hair. "Dick. Dick Grayson. You know, the first Robin? And it was easy to break into your place since you know, it's me."

Jason seemed even more alarmed when he said that. "But...you're older."

“Right I am.”

“Imposter?”

“No Jason. I’m not an imposter or a clone. I’m… _me_. Well a different me from a different world. Not  _your_  Dick.”

Jason didn’t seem to get it and Dick was honestly quite tired of this already and he didn’t want to explain the story again. But he supposed he had to.

“Just imagine, there are multiple worlds out there, _universes_. And _me_ from my world and the  _Dick_  of this world swapped places magically.”

Jason still seemed skeptical and Dick had to take a deep breath to stop himself from getting impatient. “Alright. I’m the first Robin. Batman is Bruce Wayne. You’re the second Robin. He found you because you jacked his tires. You died by the Joker. Came back to life by the Lazarus pit. And now you’re currently the Red Hood.” Dick threw out facts that only people close to Jason would know. Things that Dick would know.

Jason appeared to be a little weirded out about that but he seemed a little less wary. “Okay. If what you’re saying is true. How did you get here? Where is  _our_  Dick?”

“Sad to say, I don’t know. I just woke up and found myself here. Your Dick is probably in my world," Dick explained and then went on to say, "I met with Bruce. He’s trying to figure out how to fix this.”

The stiffness in Jason's shoulders disappeared and he seemed to relax. He was a bit more cooperative than Dick expected. Not that he was complaining. Jason lowered his arms to his side and made a hand gesture at Dick. “So, why’d you try to find me then?” He was confused on that aspect because they probably weren’t that close and to Jason, he was probably not on Dick's list of people to visit. At least, definitely not second. 

To Dick however, Jason was the first to come to mind. The first he would have visited if not for having to extract information from Bruce first. He tried to play off his concern, shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and kicked at empty air. “I just wanted to see how the _Jason_ of this world was doing.”

“ _Fair._  If you want to know, me and well,  _him_  are doing fine. We’re on good terms and talking. We also sometimes patrol together. He evened talked to me about his girlfriend.”

Dick twitched at the mention of the  _girlfriend_ , not liking the tone of that. Because for heaven’s sake, he should be with Jason. He knows it. Even if this was an alternate universe, they _belong_  together. This Dick was just confused, hadn’t yet realized who he should be with. Even if it was a different Dick of a different universe, it was still him. And knowing himself, he was probably just casually dating and probably being an idiot in love who fell for anyone giving him a bit of attention.

It pissed him off to know that he and Jason weren’t together. Mad at himself for dating some other girl.

God damn, if he could meet himself, he’d smack some sense into him.

Apparently his frustration was showing through and he could see how Jason was staring at him in concern. "Are you okay?" He asked, snapping Dick out of his thoughts.

Dick sighed, reached a hand to brush through his hair, but then stopped himself abruptly. "Fine," he murmured, kept his hand still as he fiddled with a strand of hair. "Just...thinking." And that was when Jason spotted something, zeroed in on his hand.

"Are you...married?" He blurted aloud, a little stunned.

Dick blinked, taken aback by that comment and lowered his hand. He stared at the beautiful ring on his finger, a white gold band adorned with a thin blue lining. Their names were engraved inside the ring and Jason had a matching one as well except his had a red lining. Respective to the color of their uniforms. 

Just staring at this piece of jewelry caused feelings to well up within him and he really wanted to see  _his_  Jason again. Missed him a lot even though it'd barely been 24 hours since they last saw each other. He sighed softly, a fond smile gracing his lips as he thought about Jason and the moment he proposed to him. 

The Jason standing in front of him was a little speechless at the tender expression on Dick's face and had to ask. “Is it your current girlfriend? Or well, I mean, _this_  Dick’s girlfriend?”

Dick chuckled. “No.”

“Who then? Someone I know?”

Dick didn't really want to spill the news that he was married to the other Jason. Figured he'd freak the young man out, but part of him wanted Jason to know. Just to see how he would react. Though once his eyes fell upon Jason's, he could see this look—this really specific look that his Jason would often give him before they dated and then suddenly, it was clear to him. Dick knew _that_ expression all too well, a look of yearning and want and he knew that Jason had a crush on Dick. But yet, he was afraid to take the next step, so maybe a bit of pushing wouldn't be so bad. 

“Yeah," he answered, earned a look of surprise from Jason. "You know them.  _In fact_ , you know  _him_  very well.”

Jason raised a brow. “ _Him?_ ”

“Yes.  _Him._ Do you want to take a wild guess?" He teased.

"Wally?" Jason tossed out and Dick almost rolled his eyes at that. Of course he'd name one of his best friends. 

"No."

"Roy."

"No." 

"Then I don't know."

Dick grinned. "Fine. I'll tell you," he said, paused to capture Jason's full attention, not that the young man hadn't already been staring at him. "I'm married to you,  _Jason Peter Todd_."

Jason’s eyes widened in shock, about to pop out of its socket and he stared at the man like he’d seen a ghost. Dick could only laugh in amusement and inched closer towards the young man. Jason didn't react to his movement and he supposed it was okay to continue forth, though it was probably because he was too stunned to do anything.

As if his presence had snapped him out of his thoughts, he started rambling. "W-What?  _How?_  Why? What—I don't— _fuck_ , how are we _together?_ ”

“ _Simple_. I love you. You love me. We dated for many many years. We’re married for two.” Dick stated as he came face to face with Jason. It was interesting to find that even in this world, Jason was still taller than him despite the fact that he was younger.

“I-I don’t believe it. We can't— _no_. We can't be married. Why would you even be interested in me?” Dick was a bit offended by that question because why not? 

"Like I said. I like you for you so I don't see anything wrong with that."

Oh god, he made him embarrassed, could see Jason's cheeks flushing a bright pink. The young man shifted the weight of his foot, moving from one to the other, squirming, like he couldn't handle all these compliments. So Dick decided to flourish him with some more.

"I love all the good qualities about you. How much you care about others. How even though you use a different method to fight crime, you still do your best to help the innocent."

The gentle pink deepened to a red and slowly spread to the tips of his ears. Dick grinned, was completely enjoying teasing him because he didn't often get the chance to do so. It was typically Jason making playful remarks at him, complimenting until Dick was an embarrassed mess and while he enjoyed it, he also wanted to be the one to do the teasing too.

He slipped his fingers behind Jason’s neck, burying them into his dark and soft raven hair. Dick rolled onto his tip toes and closed the small distance between them as he brought their lips close together, barely touching.

“I just really love you Jason.”

Jason gulped, licked his lips and stood there in awe. Obviously wanting to very much just kiss him but held back for whatever reason. Dick couldn’t wait for him to take action so he did it himself and pressed their lips together in a chaste kiss. 

\---- 

“You’re telling me our Dick is gone?” Bruce asked, arms crossed over his chest and blue eyes gazing intensely at them, well specifically Jason.

Jason just finished explaining the events to Bruce and the man didn’t seem very happy about it. In fact, to his misfortune, the whole family seemed to be around, hiding out in the cave doing who knows what and they were also quite unsatisfied with the disappearance of their beloved brother. Even though there was another version of him here, but it wasn't the same.

Jason had brought Dick over immediately after the man had asked to see Bruce. Since they were already located in Gotham, it was an easy drive there. But of course on the way over, young Dick did ask why they were in Gotham.

And well, Jason could only say they decided to remain in the city. Dick asked about a different city, implying that he himself was in charge of his own, possibly Bludhaven. Jason only explained that due to certain circumstances and events, they ended up back in Gotham.

Couldn’t very well give him the details behind every awful thing that had happened in Bludhaven as well as things after that. Jason could tell at first glance that this Dick hadn’t yet experienced any of that, wasn't yet jaded by all the terrible things of this world and he hoped—prayed that he wouldn't. He was definitely going to give him tips before he went back to his world—had to keep him safe from all _kinds_ of harm.

Whenever he actually went home that is.

“Basically, yes,” Jason answered.

Bruce grunted and turned his attention to glare at the completely nervous and confused Dick sitting on a chair in the middle of the cave. He had his hand resting in his lap like a good obedient child, which was oddly weird because Dick was never obedient. Always stubborn and disobeying orders. But here he was, just sitting there and staring, watching their interactions.

“He’s… so young.”

“Yes Bruce. Yes he is.”

“I trust you to keep an eye on him.”

“Of course.”

“I’m going to see if the Justice League can give us any intel about this predicament,” Bruce said and disappeared to his control panel where he could make contact with the League.

This left just Jason and the brats in the room. The brats were huddled in a corner surprisingly chummy with one another since they didn't get along all too well. But Jason supposed because it was Dick, they came to consensus and decided to spy on him, watched him like a hawk. Jason placed his attention away from the brats and back on Dick who seemed strangely nervous. Jason was honestly expecting him to be a bit more, well, Dick-like? Bouncing to and fro and trying to interact with his family even though they were basically a different family?

Though he could understand the fear in that. They may look like his family but at the same time, they weren’t.

Jason figured he could maybe start with asking Dick some simple questions, basic ones to get information out of him or an understanding of where he was at in his life. But Damian beat him to the punch as the boy stalked right up to him. He stood directly in front of Dick, hands on his hips in a proud stance.

“How old are you?”

“Um.” Young Dick seemed to be at a complete loss at the sudden intrusion of space.

“How old?” Damian pressed again.

“22.”

“Where do you live?”

“Bludhaven.”

“ _Tt._ I see you’ve reverted back to that terrible city.”

“What–“

Dick was about to retort to that but Damian cut him off. “You look so young. Are you living alone? Why are you even in Bludhaven? You need to go back home.  _Now._ ”

Jason was surprised at the implication that Damian was trying to convey to Dick, tried to drop a few hints without giving away too much. Though, it came out a bit overbearing, insulting even. Jason was about to say something else, but Tim went ahead and interrupted him.

“You didn’t have a good time there," Tim interjected, also came out from his hiding but made sure to keep a distance from Dick so he wasn't overcrowding him like Damian was. "Well the  _you_  of here. He tried really hard to make a difference and help the city, but it _just_ , it didn’t turn out so well.”

Dick blinked in confusion, lips pulling into a thin life, brows pressed together and Jason could see that he was about to go on the defense.

“I’m old enough to take care of myself. Old enough to run my own city. I don’t need Bruce’s help,” Dick hissed, obviously offended that his ‘family’ would judge his skills like so.

It wasn’t his skills they were judging. It was the mentality of Dick’s and because of course they were worried. They knew the things that had happened there. Well Tim and Damian knew most of it except for a few details that Dick hadn’t told them. Details only he had told Jason not because he had wanted to but because he had been found out. Something he was ashamed of that had been haunting him for some time.

“That’s not what we meant,” Tim stated, wanting to elaborate but Dick wasn’t having any of it. His hands curled into tight fists, eyes narrowing dangerously into a glare.

“I’m trying to  _find_  myself. Establish who I really am. I have a life in Bludhaven. I have  _someone_  there. A reason to stay.”

Everyone gave him a questionable look at that comment, surprised to hear that the reason he had stayed in Bludhaven was for someone. At least, that's what it felt like he was implying. Because their Dick had settled in that god forsaken city for a different reason, a reason completely valid for a person of his caliber. He believed that he could make a difference, that he could change Bludhaven and he tried, he tried so _so_ hard only to get burned in the end.

Tim and Damian were exchanging glances before they looked at Jason, searched him for an answer. He could see the wheels spinning in their minds and it was too obvious. They wanted to know who it was Dick was referring and from the tone of how the young man had answered, it definitely wasn't Jason.

“You’re with Todd are you not?” Of course Damian would be the one to ask first.

Dick threw his hands up in the air. “Why would Jason and I even be dating?!”

“Because you’re  _married_. You’re disgustingly deeply in love with him,” Damian said and wow, Jason just wanted to hug the brat for even admitting to that.

“It's not as if we didn't think it was strange at first, but we came to accept you two together.”

Dick groaned and ran a hand down his face. “I don’t get it. I don’t—I just _don’t_.”

Jason was hurt at hearing that even though he understood why, but he couldn't help it because as much as this person wasn't Dick, he was still him. But in the end, it didn't matter. Whether this Dick was dating him or not, none of that mattered because this wasn't his Dick.

But then why did he feel obligated to bring them together?

\---- 

Dick pulled away from the kiss and immediately, Jason tried shoving him away. He was blushing, pouting, clearly disgruntled and flustered. And even though Dick should have felt bad, he didn't. Actually didn't mind seeing him like this because it was honestly quite fun.

"What's wrong with you?" Jason shouted, raised his voice. "I-I don't like you in that way!" He proceeded to add and Dick frowned at him, upset to hear that coming from Jason. Even if it wasn't his Jason, it still hurt. Their voices were so similar, just ever so slightly different and the way he said it, so angry and offended, cut through his heart like a knife.

But he wouldn't let it get to him and drew in a shaky breath. The circumstances were different so of course it was perfectly reasonable for him to react like that. Especially when Dick had kissed him out of the blue, but he didn't regret his actions one single bit due to the fact that Jason liked him.

“Nothing. I just wanted to kiss you.”

“Why would you want to kiss me?”

Dick exhaled loudly because the reason was simple. "I just miss Jason."

And Jason almost rolled his eyes at how cheesy that sounded, so Dick decided to rub salt to the already open wound. "Besides, I know you like me."

Jason gasped and quickly tried to deny it. “I-I do not!” He stuttered and wiped his hand across his mouth, clearly exasperated. Dick grinned playfully, could tell he hit a nerve. Jason was still Jason despite him being from a different universe.

Dick closed the gap between once more and reached a hand forward to grab his, threaded their fingers together and held on tight. Jason was stunned and tried to slither away, but Dick kept a firm grip, didn't want to let go. "It's okay like me—er—him. _I mean_ , it's not wrong if that's what you think."

Jason bit his lips in frustration, didn't seem to like that his deep feelings had been that easily unraveled. "What do you even know?" He hissed, attempted to sound irritated, but he knew him better than that.

A smile graced his lips, sweet and bitter and Dick could only laugh as memories flooded his mind, of those days where Jason had a hard time trying to express himself. He'd been through it all, so he had to say he was well experienced with Jason's evasiveness. Plus, he himself was an evasive person so he practically knew how to deal with it. "Jay. I know everything about you.  _Come on_ , I’m married to you a version of you. You’re both practically one and the same."

Jason's eyes fluttered closed and he grumbled. “He doesn’t even like me back.”

“He might not now but you won’t know about later. You just have to give him a little push.”

“But he has a girlfriend.”

Dick cringed at that, goosebumps crawling on his skin and the tiny pieces of hair sticking up on his arms. Dick cursed _him_  for dating someone else and wished that his other stupid self would realize his feelings for Jason sooner. Though it was a little too late and pointless to dwell on and Jason would have to wait for another opportunity. But he supposed he could help Jason gain a bit of confidence for next time.

Dick gingerly brushed his fingers across Jason's cheek, could feel how warm they were and pressed a palm to his skin. "It won't last.  _Trust me_."

Jason looked conflicted, lip biting in worry as he nipped at his skin. He closed his eyes, breathed heavily before opening them again. Turquoise eyes looked at him longingly, full of love and yet clouded with fear. That he was afraid that he'd be rejected if he said anything.

Dick slipped his arms around Jason’s waist and pulled him into a crushing hug. “It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me. _I know_.”

“ _Dick_ ,” Jason breathed, placed a hand behind his nape and caressed the ends of his hair. “Dick—“ He whispered once more, leaning down, lips inching closer and closer towards the Dick’s.

“It’s fine Jason.”

And with that, Jason caught his lips in a bruising kiss, kissed with fervor and passion, a kiss so intoxicating and yet so desperate as he clutched onto the man for dear life.

\----

After having been pestered enough by Damian, which Tim shortly interjected and took over, Jason was finally able to pull Dick away from the two. They had been bugging him the entire time, piling question on top of question and left no room for the young man to breathe. Jason could see Dick getting slightly exhausted and a bit irritated. Which wasn’t often when he indulged his younger brothers unless they were being completely unreasonable.

Which they currently were.

Jason rescued Dick and brought him upstairs and into the manor, leaving behind his two younger brothers in the bat cave. Left them there so they could assist Bruce in trying to figure out how to bring their Dick home and return the young one back to his.

They ended up in the dining room, seated at the table with a cup of steaming tea in their hands and some snacks, courtesy of Alfred who was kind enough to not prod Dick and left them alone. Bless the old man for being understanding even though he had looked quite surprised when he saw Dick.

Jason sighed softly and wrapped his fingers around the warm cup, lifted it to take a sip of the aromatic earl grey. From the corner of his eye, he could see Dick pouring some sugar into his cup and stirred it with a spoon. He chuckled internally to himself, was gleeful to know that Dick still had a sweet tooth.

“So—“ He started then paused momentarily before picking up again. “This might be me intruding, but—“ Dick set his cup down on the table and breathed. “I wanted to know, if you are willing to tell me, why we’re together. How—how did we…end up together?” There was a bit of confusion reflected in those pretty blue eyes and Jason couldn’t help but chuckle.

Of course he would have been curious, and the answer to that question wasn’t exactly that simple. “Do you want the complete story or a short version?” Jason teased, smirking as Dick looked at him a little appalled, his mind being partially in the gutter. “It’s not _that_ bad.”

“Um—“ he murmured and sipped at his tea to try to hide his embarrassment. “You don’t have to give me every single detail. Just—you know, the general idea.”

“Good answer,” Jason said. He wasn’t planning to tell Dick the whole story anyways. It would have taken hours or days. They had too much history together.

Dick huffed and nodded, locked gazes with Jason and gave him his full attention.

“You probably know that we weren’t exactly the closest because of certain circumstances,” Jason started and he could see Dick’s ears perking up, seemed to pick up on what exactly he was pinpointing. “But as Robin, I really admired you. You could say, I had a bit of a crush on you. I mean, it was a child’s crush, but I was a little jealous of your friends and your girlfriend at the time.”

Dick slurped his tea loudly and Jason took that as a sign for him to continue. “Then of course, I died at the hands of the Joker. I came back angry and was out for blood. I was pissed at Bruce for replacing me with Tim and that he didn’t avenge me.”

Wait—“ Dick interrupted, held up a hand at Jason to stop. “Tim?” He questioned, voice rising an octave higher than usual. “ _Tim was Robin?_ ”

Jason arched a brow at him, confusion filtering onto his face. “Yeah? Was he not Robin in your world?” Now this is when the discrepancies started occurring.

“No,” Dick murmured as he shook his head. “He wasn’t. Bruce offered him to be Robin but he rejected and became Red Robin instead.”

“Oh.” Jason had honestly not expected, actually figured that their history would be more or less pretty similar. But it seemed to differ. “That’s interesting. I guess some things are different.” He shrugged at that fact since everything behind them was past history and Jason learned to let go of his grudge. “Anyways, Tim was Robin until Damian came along and Dick gave Robin to him when he became Batman for a period of time.”

“Ah,” Dick said. “At least that part is still the same.” A fond smile crept upon Dick’s lips and Jason could tell that he probably really adored Damian.

“The brat really likes you,” Jason added and Dick beamed at the thought of his youngest brother. “Anyways—“ he said and brought Dick’s attention back to himself. “Long story short, I hated everyone and they’d all given up on me except for Dick,” Jason exhaled loudly as he thought back on the many times Dick had tried to get through to him. How persistent he was and how he was the only one whoever made an effort. It was endearing and one of the reasons why he started to fall for Dick all over again.

“He was the one to try and help me, rather than abandon and ignore me. Of course I wasn’t having any of it because he was out right annoying. Being that Golden boy that he typically was, the self-sacrificing kind hearted fool. It took a lot of effort, but eventually it paid off and I was able to slowly accept Dick into my life.”

Other world Dick seemed to understand and nodded his head as he listened to his story. He hoped that he was successfully able to articulate his feelings in a way that appeared that he did really love Dick. Not just because he was the only one that was there for him. Though part of it was because he was, but also because they could relate to one another. And the fact that he had a crush on him before also added fuel to the fire.

God damn, Dick’s sappiness was rubbing off on him.

“Then what happened? How did this,” he made a hand gesture and drew a circle,” End up with you two together? I mean, as a couple.”

“That took more effort,” Jason laughed and took a drink from his cooled tea, tried to alleviate the bit of dryness in his throat from talking. “We got closer the more time we spent with each other and it just—I don’t know. We just opened up and starting having those sappy heart to heart conversations. Honestly though—you are the most stubborn fool and you rarely share feelings about yourself. And yet, you always expect other’s to do it!” Jason complained, got a bit riled up as that flaw of Dick’s he hated jumped to mind. How Dick always pestered him to open up when he himself never did it when Jason would ask. Just instead, sulked and kept it all buried under his stupid stubbornness. God damn that pissed him off.

Dick was grinning at him, more amused than offended because Jason was sure that flaw of Dick’s was universal and probably applied this other world’s as well.

“I bet you’re like that too.”

“I can’t exactly deny that.”

Jason just rolled his eyes and cleared his throat. “Anyways, we didn’t click at first but eventually the attraction grew and became real. And I made the first move. Caught him off guard and kissed him when he wasn’t paying attention because he was too busy being a cute idiot.”

Dick suddenly got a bit squirmy, was shuffling in his seat. He probably felt like he was in the spotlight since Jason was talking about him, but not actually about _him_. _Fuck_ , this was getting a bit too confusing.

“In what way?” he asked, still intrigued despite how slightly uncomfortable he felt.

“For one, Dickiebird, I’ll refer to him as that, was sleeping in my bed. In just his boxers and a thin t-shirt. I could literally see his butt peeking out from under there.”

Dick scrunched his nose at the comment and slowly buried his face in his hands. Ah, he’d embarrassed him, but he was hoping he’d get a reaction from telling that bit of information. It’s not as if he didn’t notice that other world’s Dick had a nice ass too.

“Did you want me to continue?” Jason asked and Dick shook his head at first, but then retracted it and nodded his head. “You sure?” He murmured a quiet yes so Jason pressed on. “I woke him up because he took up my whole bed. Then he started rambling about something that I didn’t care about and it was annoying so I just—well—I just kissed him to shut him up. Then somehow, we ended up making out. On my bed. And things progressed from there. And I eventually got Dickiebird to confess his undying love for me.”

Sapphire eyes widened in horror and he blinked rapidly as if he was trying to imagine it. “I’m kidding.” Not really though. “We did make it official.”

“Ah.” The stiffness in his shoulders disappeared and he relaxed a little, his body slumped against the chair. There was a brief moment of silence as it hung awkwardly in the air. Jason waited patiently and let Dick absorb all the information dump he’d just done. He could have added more since there was much more he could have said, but figured, he’d just leave at that. It was better for Dick to decide for his own if he wanted to do anything about whatever Jason had just told him.

Whether that was to pursue his Jason or not. Or just avoid the young man and keep him at arm’s lengths as a brother rather than a romantic interest. Though that thought saddened Jason and he would have preferred the first rather than the latter.

Dick clicked his tongue loudly, much like Damian did, and breathed a soft sigh. “I guess…I sort of understand. I mean—I do. I get it, but it’s weird trying to imagine myself with you.”

“You don’t have to imagine. You just have to feel it.

Dick shrugged his shoulders, unaware of how his current emotions were in a turmoil. “I mean, Jason and I are on good terms now and I do enjoy his company.”

“Well that’s good,” Jason said and smiled. It was progress, although slow. Nothing was set in stone and who knew what the future held. Jason wasn’t going to push him in that direction, but he figured he’d at least set the boat sailing. Whether the wind carried Dick towards Jason or not was honestly up to him to decide. Either way, he was only here for the moral support and possibly a bit of guidance.

“I guess—“ Dick pressed his lips into a thin line, tilted his head slightly as he stared at Jason, eyes roaming him. “You are—“ he seemed to be collecting his words, tried to form a sentence as to what he wanted to say. “I mean, okay. You’re attractive.” Dick admitted shyly and completely caught Jason off guard.

“…Serious?” He never thought that this Dick would have complimented him.

Dick groaned, but nodded. “I can’t believe I said that.”

“Hey, if it matters, I think you’re pretty.”

“Jason—“

“Hah,” he laughed and Dick just gave him a funny look. “You called my name.”

Dick rolled his eyes, exasperated. “You are Jason after all. It just felt weird because you’re not _my_ Jason.”

“ _Your_ Jason?” He smirked and earned another grunt from Dick as he scrubbed his hand down his face, annoyed.

“You know what I meant.”

No matter which Dick it was, it was always a pleasure to tease him. He could always count on Dick’s reactions.

“It’s not like…” he trailed off and mumbled a few words under his breath. Jason wasn’t able to catch them clearly.

“What?”

And Dick sighed frustratingly. “I said—“ he raised his voice out of annoyance. “It’s not like I never thought you weren’t good looking. I mean, especially when you came back, you grew up and you’re just—I don’t know. Really handsome.

“Why thank you.”

“Ugh. I didn’t say it to compliment you.”

“Sure felt like it.”

“Jason,” Dick said in a warning tone and Jason just laughed at him, but stopped seeing how dangerously he was glaring at him, eyes narrowed in, ready to strike him at any moment.

“Okay. Fine. I’ll stop.” Jason sighed, wanted to poke more fun at him, but he supposed he could move onto a more concerning topic. “Can I ask about your girlfriend?”

“What about her?”

“How long have you been dating?” Jason questioned.

“Three or four months,” he replied as he counted on his finger.

“Do you love her?” Jason blurted and Dick gave him a look, like that question shouldn’t have been asked because it was really private information. Still, Jason needed to know.

“Yes,” he answered confidently.

Jason groaned and shook his head in disapproval. “How can you be so sure?” he questioned, knew full well that love didn’t just work like that. That Dick was the type of man to fall hard at first, but then slowly, back away when issues arose. Their relationship had taken years, _years_ just to come to fruition. Dick hadn’t even told him he loved him until they were about half way into their relationship. Too much had happened in their past, too much in their relationship. Their relationship was a constant push and pull. It wasn’t until they were emotionally stable that they said it to one another.

So really, Jason didn’t believe Dick a single bit when he confessed that he loved his girlfriend.

“But I love her. She’s different than the others I’ve dated and she’s—she’s special. She’s what keeps me going. She’s the reason I’m in Bludhaven, the reason I’m there. I have a life in that city with her,” Dick explained, got a bit defensive as his voice rose with every word that slipped from his mouth.

“That is fucking bullshit,” Jason hissed and curled his hands into taut fists, his skin turning white as he was cutting off his circulation. “You don’t need a reason like that to stay in a city. _Hell_ , Dick Grayson is not the type of person who would stay purely for someone else. He had a greater purpose and that purpose is what grounds him to a place.” Jason was getting mad, irritated that this Dick was saying such nonsense things. It was—it was stupid and not Dick-like at all. Not what his Dickiebird had done.

“The reason Dick stayed in Bludhaven was because he believed he could make it a better place. That he could try and fight the darkness in the city because it was awful and it was dying.”

“I do that too!” Dick argued and threw up his hands, slammed them back on the table and rattled the silverware. “But I have to have time to myself. I need time to be just _Dick Grayson_. She told me—“ he huffed, his breathing coming in short spurts, was too heated up to breathe correctly. “That the world already has Nightwing. That the people have Nightwing but when I’m with her, I should be just Dick Grayson. That I needed to—needed to separate my time and my identities. I can’t just be me if I’m too focused on being Nightwing.”

Anger boiled within his chest and Jason was beyond pissed now, was about to burst his top. Wanted to find this woman and tell her off for ingraining such stupid ideas into Dick’s mind. For trying to change him for who he is. The conversation had started off well, but now it just went down the freaking drain. Good-bye reasons.

“Dick—“ Jason licked his lips, tried to remain as calm as possible. “You don’t understand.  You’re Nightwing _and_ Dick Grayson. You’re one and the same. You don’t separate your identities in two. _Sure_ , they are ultimately different but in terms of your jobs, as a person, you’re _you_. Dick Grayson is Nightwing as much as Nightwing is Dick Grayson. You are both of those things and that’s—that’s the great thing about you. You are still yourself regardless of which uniform you put on.” Jason huffed, drew in a long breath to calm his nerves. Could feel his hands trembling, shaking with anger. “You—“ he wanted to tell Dick to stop listening to this woman, to disregard what she had said because she barely knew him. How could she _judge_ him when she _barely_ knew anything about him? Didn’t understand who he was a single bit?

But he wasn’t going to say it, decided to zip his lips and leave him to think for himself. For those words to really sink into his being, absorb them in and then process what they really meant.

Clearly, Dick was lost. Needed a guiding light to find his way and Jason was going to make sure he fucking helped him get on the right path.

Dick was Dick and that was it. He was—Dick Grayson was a great person. Someone who always fought his best for others, put himself before others. A self-sacrificing idiot who would do anything to protect those he loved. He was—he was a good fucking person and that was why he loved him.

Jason ran a hand through his hair, frustrated and sighed obnoxiously. There was so much going on within him, so many emotions battling against each other and he needed to calm down. But how? How could he—

And then a thought crossed his mind and he abruptly stood up in his seat. He strode towards Dick and gripped the front of his shirt, jerked him up and kissed him, rough and hard.

Dick was completely frozen, too shocked to respond to him, but Jason pressed forward, kissed him and sucked his lips and finally, he responded in the most unexpected way by giving into him. Jason wasn’t going to continue, just wanted to release some of his anger by kissing Dick to make himself feel better. But since the young man had consented, Jason continued and deepened the kiss.

He bit his lip, earned a gasp from Dick as his lips parted. Jason pushed his tongue inside, licked the inside of his mouth as he tasted all of Dick, so sweet and intoxicating. Dick reciprocated his advances and kissed him back just as passionately, curled a hand behind his neck as he held on. Jason ran his hands down the small of his back and over the curve of his ass as he squeezed that plump flesh. Dick gasped again, moaned loudly and Jason grinned into the kiss. He lifted Dick and settled him on the edge of the table as he kissed him, bruising his plump lips.

When they parted with a wet pop, their breaths were out of sync, irregular as they panted loudly. Jason’s eyes narrowed in on his mouth, could see how red and swollen his lips were. Patted himself on the back for doing a swell job.

Sapphire eyes were glassy, hazy even as he stared into oblivion, was trying to calm himself from a high. The kiss had winded him and Jason could only smirk as he pressed their foreheads together. Cupped his cheek as he held him still, both of them breathing in short bursts as they tried to catch their breath.

Jason was the first to break the silence. “Think about your feelings first Dick.” He said and softly brushed a hair strand out of his eyes, tucked it behind his ear softly. “Don’t jump into it. Think about who you want to be and then decide what you want to do.”

Dick didn’t pipe a single word and kept his gaze on Jason, eyes slowly clearing up as he listened to his every word. “It doesn’t have to be me,” Jason added. “That’s not what I’m trying to do. You are you and I just want you to decide for yourself. Don’t listen to others and follow what your heart tells you to do.” Jason pressed a hand to Dick’s chest, could feel how quickly his heart was beating. “And if that means you love your girlfriend and she makes you feel like yourself, than that’s fine. But don’t let her persuade you otherwise.”

That was the best advice Jason could offer him without being too overbearing. And whatever he decided to do with his advice was up to him because Jason wasn’t there to dictate his actions nor was he there to watch and fix them.

Mistakes would be made and they will be learned. But Jason just—he just wanted Dick to be safe. To not act on impulse because he knows what would happen to that. He knows that Dick would get hurt as the fool made it easy for others to hurt him. And he didn’t want that.

“Just, _please_ , take it slow. Don’t rush.”

Dick puffed up his cheeks, considering the idea. After briefly thinking about it, he nodded his head. “Okay,” he murmured and leaned in for another kiss.

Jason just stared at him, surprised. Hadn’t expected him to actually initiate a kiss, but hey, if he was willing to kiss him then Jason was all for that. He wasn’t going to push him away.

They locked lips and were once again engaged in a passionate kiss, so hot and heavy that they were too absorbed to be aware of their surroundings. That was until they heard a loud noise from behind them.

Immediately, they broke apart and Jason was frozen with half his hand still buried in Dick’s hair while the younger man was clutching on tight to his shirt. Their lips were swollen, clothes a mess and they could see how Bruce’s glare deepened, judging them quietly.

It seemed like he wanted to say something, to reprimand them, but instead he sighed softly and settled for what he came to find them for. “I found a way.”

\----

Dick found himself climbing onto Jason’s lap, straddling him in his seat as the younger man kissed him wholly, devouring him. He nibbled at his lips, licking and probing until he found his tongue inside of Dick’s mouth. Dick had thought he was leading the kiss but found Jason taking charge. Didn’t really mind either way because he knew how Jason liked to take control at times.

He knew that theoretically this was wrong and it felt like he was perhaps, cheating on Jason. And well, though it was a different person it wasn’t entirely cheating since he was still very much kissing Jason Todd. Albeit, a different version of Jason Todd and not his husband. Okay _fine_ , he was just making excuses but the vulnerable look Jason was giving just made him want to kiss him and he moved on instinct.

As they were passionately immersed in their heated make-out session, they were interrupted when a bright light appeared out of nowhere. They quickly broke the kiss, heads turned to look at the source of where the light was coming from. Dick squinted as he saw a portal appear, the light contracting to a flicker as the portal—the damn strange hole in space widened and out came two figures.

Dick immediately realized who they were, couldn’t miss that obvious tuff of white hair. He jumped out of the younger Jason’s lap and quickly ran over towards his Jason. Before his lover could even see him, Dick leapt at him, arms circling around his waist as he squeezed him tight, buried his face in his chest.

“ _Jay_.” He murmured. “Jay. _Oh god_. Jason. I missed you _so_ much.”

Jason laughed and returned the hug, dipping down to kiss the top of his hair. “It’s barely been a day.”

“Yeah but, it felt like an eternity. Plus we’re literally worlds apart, _were_ worlds apart.”

Jason smiled tenderly and cupped his cheek, tilting his head back so that he could kiss him properly. “So—“ Jason started and stared down at Dick, eyes arching inquisitively “Were you just kissing other me?”

Dick gasped, looked appalled by the accusation. “I was—but how did you know?”

“Your lips are wet and swollen,” Jason said and swiped a thumb over his plump lips. “Cheating on _me_ with _me_?”

Dick rolled his eyes at that ridiculous comment. “I bet you kissed my version of me too,” he said as he glanced over at his younger version and jerked his head in that direction.

Jason grinned as he looked from one Dick to the other. “I might have done more than just kissing,” Jason teased and the other Dick looked at him horrified, a bit embarrassed actually. Was about to argue back, but Jason beat him to the punch.

“Only kidding,” he laughed. “It was just kissing but I was tempted. I mean, he’s still _you_. Just younger and more naïve, but still very much you though.”

Dick smacked him on the chest. “Cheater!”

“ _Hey._ We’re both not really cheating since it’s really just another version of us.”

Dick could only laugh at that because it was true. While Dick was busy joking with Jason, the other world’s version of them just stood around awkwardly, watched as the two love birds bickered and teased one another, and yet, were cuddling close, a hand resting on parts of their body. And they could clearly see the authentic love between them and how much they adored one another.

Both Jason and Dick couldn’t deny that they were a bit jealous.

When the lovebirds had finally calmed down from their exchange, they took notice of their other versions and decided to check one another out. Took in the difference of their appearances, old versus young and the matureness that each of them held.

Dick could feel his own version staring at him, as if judging him or well, _analyzing_ him. He looked as if he wanted to say something, to ask him a stream of questions. Most likely about himself. A part of Dick wanted to do the same as well, to find out more about this world’s him. Maybe give him a tip or two, but he figured he shouldn’t interfere and decided to keep to himself instead. Besides, he assumed his Jason left a few hints already as he already did the same with the younger Jason. And whatever he decided to do with that was his decision.

The seed had been planted and all it needed now was just a bit of water to blossom.

Dick smiled and returned his attention back to his husband. “I’m going to say goodbye. Okay?”

“Sure,” Jason nodded and released his hold around Dick, settled his arms back at his side.

Dick approached the younger Jason who had been sitting frozen in his chair, a little confused and a bit jealous. Could feel him sulking with those pouted lips. Dick chuckled and brushed his hand against his cheeked, cupped his face and kissed him one last time. “Take care, okay? _Remember_ , don’t be afraid to try and be yourself.”

Jason sighed softly, a smile tugging at his lips and he nodded. “You take care too. And if he hurts you, well, you can kick his ass.” And Dick couldn’t help but give him another kiss for being utterly sweet.

“I will and you don’t have to worry about that. But you," Dick said and stroked his cheek. "If he hurts you, make sure to kick his ass real good,” he said and Jason just chuckled and nodded his head. 

Dick reluctantly let go of Jason, had to force himself to turn around so he wouldn’t have to look at the troubled expression since it made him feel like he should do something. Run up and yell at his other self, but it wasn't his place to deal with so he had to let it go. 

Dick found his husband giving a farewell to the other Dick, whispering a few words to him as he brushed a hand through his hair and dipped down to snatch the younger man in an intoxicating kiss. Almost made Dick feel a little jealous, but well, he’d be punishing him when they got back.

And with that, they waved goodbye and jumped back into the portal, returning home to their world.

\---- 

Days had passed since the incident occurred and things had settled to a norm. There was nothing out of the ordinary and they were also perfectly healthy. Had to go through a few tests that Bruce enforced just to make sure nothing was wrong with them from the time travel.

As the two cuddled on the couch, perfectly comfortable with one another as they quietly sipped tea and watched a movie, Dick spoke up.

“I—“ he started, catching Jason’s attention. He still wasn’t quite over it and Jason and he hadn’t really discussed their feelings regarding their counterparts. “That experience was so odd.”

Jason hummed in agreement as he settled his tea cup in his lap. “It was.”

“I felt like—“ Dick smacked his lips together and sighed heavily. “That it was wrong for us to be apart. I mean, different worlds, different rules, but you know, it was—“

“I know.” Jason interrupted. “I get what you’re trying to say because I felt the same as well.”

“I hope that I wasn’t being aggressive. I mean, I gave Jason—er, you know, that Jason a push. I just wonder if he took it.”

Jason’s eyes dropped down, narrowing in concern. He reached over, gliding his hand over his shoulder as he settled his hand behind his neck. He played with the ends of Dick’s hair, twirling dark locks between his fingers. “I don’t think you were wrong since I did the same as well.”

Dick chuckled at that and pursed his lips. “I see we thought the same.” Jason just wiggled his eyebrows in consensus. “I mean, whether they get together isn’t up to us.”

“Yeah.”

“Though we did maybe influence them.”

“We did.”

Dick sighed, slightly frustrated that he was unnecessarily worrying about something that shouldn’t be any of his concern. “I mean, you liked me. But I—I didn’t. I was dating some _girl.”_

“Which you’ll probably break up with.”

“Ugh. You don’t know that.”

“Oh, but _I do_. I’m sure he will and whether they get together or not is not up to us. We are us and they are them. And let’s just leave it at that.” Jason said, sounding way too logical that Dick almost wanted to smack him upside the head for putting it so simply while Dick here was fretting.

“But we belong together,” Dick whined and Jason just rolled his eyes, dipped in to press a kiss to his lips.

“That we do.”


End file.
